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List:       web4lib
Subject:    [Web4lib] Blog usability study and usability study in screen readers
From:       junus () mail ! lib ! msu ! edu (Junus, Ranti)
Date:       2005-08-23 18:58:36
Message-ID: 4AA263AB78B5394A8277D4C2A0EE490E03BAC395 () MAINLIB12 ! lib ! msu ! edu
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I encountered a couple of interesting writings on usability study.  Not exactly \
relate to library sites, but might be worth reading. 

1. Blog Mainstream Market Penetration Likely Limited By Basic Usability Issues
http://www.catalystgroupdesign.com/people/press/blogpress.asp

> From their site:
"Catalyst's conclusions:  broad comprehension is fairly far away - and better design \
and terminology are essential.  All those tested were optimistic about blogs \
following the test, with many expressing interest or enthusiasm for what had been a \
new experience.  However, few felt that the presentation of functionality and \
navigation was intuitive, and many wondered why more effort had not been put into \
education. "


2. "In early 2005, an E-commerce site selling hardware and software was evaluated for \
usability in screen readers." http://www.joeclark.org/access/webaccess/survey/
(The narratives from the participants are particularly interesting.)

Conclusion from their site:
"It appears that mere standards compliance does not always translate into full \
accessibility for screen-reader users. First of all, the screen readers themselves \
fall down on the job of interpreting compliant HTML and CSS. Moreover, some site \
designs whose interfaces are understandable when viewed in a gestalt do not translate \
well into sequential viewing. 

Even with the limited cohort base in this study, it is apparent that relatively minor \
site improvements could remediate most of the problems encountered in the survey."

--
Ranti Junus - Web Services
 100 Main Library W441
 Michigan State University
 East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
 +1.517.432.6123 ext. 231
 +1.517.432.8374 (fax)


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